News Team Boulder

Issue date: 4/23/09 Section: News

Finals time is right around the corner and anxiety is mounting to ace exams ... or at least score a grade that gets you by. Test taking strategies can not only improve your ability to retain information, but can tailor your studying to work best with your learning style. There are a number of tips that may seem wacky or completely bogus, but every helpful hint is at least worth a try. In chronological order, here's advice to take you from pre-studying through handing in the completed exam:

-- Start with a piece of gum. I know, sounds bizarre, but studies done by Wrigley have shown that gum chomping stimulates certain areas of the brain, allowing you to better receive and retain information. The evidence also shows that chewing gum decreases stress while increasing concentration. Unfortunately, as wonderful as gum may be, you'll have to accompany this technique with a couple others.

-- Procrastination equals exhausted, under-studied students with awkwardly clean bedrooms. Pulling all-nighters as a result of doing mindless chores before admitting you have to study is not the best option. Despite alleged magic pills that make your brain go into superpower mode, if you spread studying out over a few days before the exam, you'll give yourself plenty of time to look over each topic thoroughly. Also, do you suffer from a minor case of short-term memory loss as many college students do? Getting a jump-start on studying stores information in your long-term memory, making it less likely be forgotten.

-- Find a place that's conducive to studying. This doesn't mean locking your door and blasting your headphones to drown out the noise from the party in your living room. You'd be surprised how much moving form your familiar bedroom to a library or coffee shop helps eliminate distraction.

-- Spread out your study materials (study guides, notes, textbooks, past quizzes) in the area in front of you. Being able to visually see what you have to conquer can make the goal more tangible.

-- Revert to elementary school techniques (your kindergarten teacher had some reason behind her madness). Incorporating colors and music into your studying can not only add variety, but may stimulate the brain to store more of the information. Color coding note cards and lyric-free music may spice up that library time and be just the ingredient you were missing before.

-- According to testtakingtips.com, the memory responds best to material reviewed at the beginning or the end of a study session. In other words, study the most important information first and break often. This is the excuse you've been looking for to get another cup of coffee or check Facebook.

-- Review with a friend. Word to the wise, chose one who didn't struggle to pass the third grade and takes class seriously. Quizzing and tutoring each other can make you realize your weaknesses and better understand ambiguous or confusing details.

-- On the day of the exam, change up your daily routine of gossiping and surfing the net during class and opt to look over the study material before the exam begins. Your photographic memory may retain little pieces of information you overlooked before.

-- This may sound obvious, but read the directions! Too many students lose precious points on exams for not following instructions like "provide and example." Also, refer back to elementary school skills again and make sure your writing is legible. If your "c" looks like an "e" or a "5" looks like a "6", you can and will lose valuable points.

-- Give in to your slacker side and answer the easy questions first. Once your brain is up and running, go back and see if you can work though the hard ones. Sometimes easier questions can clue you in on information to solve the trickier ones.

-- Go with your instincts! Changing answers should only happen if you're absolutely certain another choice is more correct. Trust your intuition, go with your gut ... how many more catch phrases do you need before you realize your subconscious is a powerful tool that should be used.

-- Most importantly, no matter how nervous you are for an exam, go into it with a positive attitude. It's the key to success!

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